Thiruvalangadu Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple

Thiruvalangadu Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple

Thiruvalangadu Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, one of the 275 Pancha Sabhai Sthalangal and Paadal Petra Sthalams. It is located in Thiruvalangadu Post, Thiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu.

Here, the Lords are Sri Alavana Nathar, Sri Vadaranyeswarar, Sri Devarsingaperuman and Sri Oorthuvadandaveswarar. Similarly, the Goddesses are Sri Brahmarambal, Sri Vandar Kuzhali Amman, and Sri Alavana Nayaki. There is a Banyan tree as well, which is considered Sacred.

In the beginning, this place used to be a dense forest with many banyan trees. However, one day someone discovered a Swayambu Lingam, and hence a Temple was built there, and the deity was named Vada Aaranya Easwaran.

The deity is also called Sri Devarsingaperuman" since many other Devas are believed to worship the Lord of this place. Saint Thirumular, Murugan, and Lakshmi worshipped Shiva here.

The Legend of Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple

Once, there were demons, Nisumba and Sumba, as per the mythology. They went to this forest and started harassing the Devas. The Devas then asked for the protection of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. They then created "Bathra Kali" and asked her to destroy the demons and restore the balance.

Kali killed both demons and consumed every drop of their blood. However, after the war, Kali was still enraged, and Lord Shiva had to interfere. Kali then challenged Shiva to win in dance. The battle began, and Lord Shiva dropped his earring during the dance. However, without stopping, he continued to dance, picked it up with the tip of his left leg, and fastened it to his ear.

Seeing this great move, Kali accepted her defeat and agreed that only Shiva could perform such a wonderful move. Lord Shiva explained to the Goddess how he was equal to her. He said to the Devi that whoever will come here to worship him will first have to worship the Goddess to complete their prayer. Hence there is a separate Temple of Kali and devotees go to this Temple every time they visit Lord Shiva.

The Architecture of Thiruvalangadu Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple

The Temple was built in the 12th century by the Cholas, but some inscriptions date back to even the 5th century. This is a significant Temple of Shiva because this comes among the five majestic cosmic dance halls also called "Ratna Sabai."

The Temple holds built history from the Chola and Pallava dynasties. As the inscriptions say, the Temple dates back to the rule of King Parantaka Chola-I and continues till the last king of Vijayanagara.

There is Sri Tazuvikuzandheswarar Temple, only about 2 km from Vadaranyeswarar Temple. The Natarajar here is called Rathina Sababathi Eswarar, who resides here with his consort Sameesenambikai. Here are two Shiva Lingams, which are made of crystal and emerald.

Other than the main deities, sixty other idols in the Temple depict different Gods and Goddesses. These deities are Lord Ganesha, Karaikkal, Agora Veerabathra, Murugan, and Pancha Bootha lingam.

Festivals of Thiruvalangadu Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple

All the festivals related to Lord Shiva are celebrated here with great pomp. Thiruvadhirai and Shivaratri are among these festivals.

Benefits of Thiruvalangadu Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple

• This is a Temple that is callable to provide devotees salvation by cutting their karmas and progressing their spiritual journey.
• Those born during Bharani Nakshathra come here and perform several rituals and pujas to satiate their Nakshathra.
• Those seeking to find an ideal life partner or have any obstruction in marriage come here and resolve it. They perform Mantheeswarar Pariharam, which happens on Saturdays and blesses the people to get married. It also blesses couples who are childless.
• Shani Dosha pujas are also performed here since Mantheeswarar is the son of Shani.
• Also, those who want to master dance come here to take blessings from the Lord since he is the supreme master of dance.

Timings of Thiruvalangadu Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple

The Thiruvalangadu Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple is open from Morning: 6:00 am to 12:00 Noon and Evening: 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.